Monday, October 07, 2013

Honey Cookbook Gives Recipes and Insights into Bees

"Throughout my childhood, happiness was honey for breakfast. And when oatmeal wasn't on the menu I slurped at honey combined with melted butter dripping from the nooks and crannies on a toasted English muffin and washed it down with honey-sweetened hot tea diluted with milk." - Marie Simmons, "Taste of Honey"

Marie Simmons, author of more than 20 books on subjects like figs, rice, eggs and muffins, said the best part of writing her latest book, "Taste of Honey: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Cooking with 40 Varietals," wasn't getting to try dozens of different types from all over the world. It was learning about the insects that produce it and how they turn the nectar from flowers into this ubiquitous sweetener.

A fan of honey for as long as she can remember, before writing the book she already had a collection of six or seven different honeys. During her research, those few jars became what she now calls a "library" of more than 100 jars that she keeps alphabetized on shelves in her Eugene garage.